Linger
by Rozozzy
Summary: Red tries to make peace with Miyuki's fate.


**A/N:** Writing for these two gives me so many sentimental feelings. I'm dedicating this piece to legi0nn, Oswald the Unlucky Rabbit, and 9peggy. To think that a small collection of authors could give an impossible pairing such life. You guys inspire me.

* * *

Red gazes at faraway planets while his co-ruler munches on a bag of chips. The Massive has been drifting through space aimlessly for a few hours now, scanning for uncharted civilizations waiting to be conquered. Red walks over to the navigation, which makes its careful adjustments as the flagship travels. The panel in front of him hums softly, beeping every three seconds.

One planet in particular catches his eye. Vort. In a couple of hours, the Massive will be at its closest proximity to Vort than it will ever be as it continues on its path. Something inside tugs at Red. It's a hint of nostalgia, a trace of apprehension, a touch of melancholy. He swallows, eyes still fixated on the monitor. He hasn't been to Vort ever since the tragedy. He wants to, just to obtain some closure, but something inside him is holding him back. Anxiety? Denial? Heartache? Red closes his eyes for a moment.

This could be his only chance for a long, long time. He has to take it. Otherwise, he may never come to terms with what happened on Research Station 9.

"I'll be back," Red says, walking towards the back of the room.

Purple stops snacking on his chips and narrows his eyes at Red. "Where're you going?" he asks Red, seeming suspicious.

"I just need to go out," Red tells him, almost snapping.

Purple wags a finger. "Nuh-uh," he says in a sassy tone. "You can't just leave and not tell me where you're going. What if you get hurt? I can't rule by myself. That's boring."

Red sighs in defeat. "I want to visit Vort."

"Ooh," Purple says, a sly smile creeping onto his face. "You want to sit on the Universe's Most Comfortable Couch, don't you?"

"No I don't," Red says, shaking his head. "I want to see Research Station 9."

Purple's eyes widen. For a moment, he stops eating. Purple nods in understanding. "Yeah," he says. "I get it. Go do your thing. I'll be waiting here. But don't get mad at me if I eat all the snacks."

Red takes a Spittle Runner and a couple of escorts with him. This is a mission he would have preferred to take alone, but he knew that the Empire could not afford to lose one of its Tallest, especially Red. The two Irken Elites that accompany him are not allowed speak unless absolutely necessary. For this lapse in time, however brief, will belong to Red. And her.

The Irken guards at Research Station 9 greet Red with the utmost respect. Red gives them a solemn nod before entering the austere facility. Irken military scientists acknowledge Red's presence as he travels among the corridors. The Vortian slaves who toil in his midst continue to do so, stealing a glimpse at him every so often and showing a hint of fear. Red ignores them. He takes an elevator several floors down to the basement level. At the end of the stretch of hallway is a single chamber. Danger signs and warnings of restricted access are plastered throughout the walls.

Red draws a long breath before pressing onward.

Behind powerful glass, there it lies. In all its enormity, in all its ferocity, in all its power, separated from Red by a single, transparent panel. It howls, but Red cannot hear its screams. It thrashes, but not even a dent is made. The Infinite Energy Absorbing Blob.

Cthulu.

The one who had taken her away from him.

Red doesn't speak. It's not as if that _thing_ can hear him, and if it could, it's not as if it would understand him. Or care. He just stares at it intensely, hoping to find something, hoping to gain something, hoping that whatever he is searching for will dawn upon him akin to the unwavering patriotism that dawns upon all Irkens. But nothing provokes him, nothing except bitter emptiness.

Then, he sees her.

It is only for an instant, but she is there: a flicker of blue eyes and a horrific expression frozen in time and frozen in slime. Then she disappears, another blip in the ever-growing, ever-ravenous, perpetual expanse of a colossal monster.

Red turns to his Irken Elites. "Did you see that?" he asks, pointing at Cthulu frantically while fluttering with excitement. They shake their heads. Red frowns. "But she was there. She was right there. I saw her!"

The two escorts stare at Red, no doubt contemplating whether or not to say anything. Red's gaze on his two Irken Elites does not falter, and the one to his right steps forward and speaks.

"My Tallest," he begins, "I have been watching you and Cthulu this entire time. I did not see anything."

That is the end of the last conversation Red has with anyone for awhile.

Back at the Massive, Purple attempts to talk to him, but Red dismisses his prying questions. Instead, Red isolates himself in his personal chambers to lie down and reflect upon his fleeting, yet monumental encounter.

Did he imagine it? Did his mind miss her so much that it catered to his deepest longings, satiating his desire to see her once more by using fabricated images? Or was that really her back there, still trapped in suspended animation, still clinging between the threshold of life and death, but quite possibly still alive? Red doesn't know what to make of it all.

Maybe he doesn't have the closure that he needs. In fact, he is more confused and less resolved than he was before his visit to Research Station 9. But that's okay. No matter how slim, Red now has a glint of hope that Almighty Tallest Miyuki will return to him one day.

It is a glint of hope that he will carry within him throughout his days.

 _Fin._


End file.
